(Click here, if you are unable to view this photo gallery or video on your mobile device.)OAKLAND  The Raiders lost Sunday night on a paper jam.In a decisive play that could have been sponsored by Dunder Mifflin, referee Gene Steratore used a folded up index card to determine whether or not the Dallas Cowboys advanced the ball far enough on a fourth-and-1 play for a first down.Steratores highly scientific method consisted of trying to slide his paper between the ball and the first-down marker to see if there was any space.Its worth noting here that the year is 2017.This is a billion dollar industry and it comes down to that? broadcaster Greg Papa lamented during the radio broadcast.The Raiders once lost a game on the Immaculate Reception. This one could have been settled by the Immaculate Receptionist. Oakland was undone by office supplies.After the Cowboys late-fourth quarter drive was extended by that impromptu measuring device, Dallas kept the chains moving all the way to the winning score. They won 20-17 behind Dan Baileys 19-yard field goal with 1:44 to play.Now, the Raiders playoff dreams, like the infamous piece of paper, now look all folded up.Cowboys owner Jerry Jones loved it.Well, I love any game that will allow you to just stick it in the pile and then come back and measure it with a piece of cigarette paper, he said.Raiders coach Jack Del Rio hated it.There was air between the ball and the stick. Thats short, OK, he said. Goes the other way, period.The Raiders had chance to rewrite the ending, but quarterback Derek Carr fumbled the ball out of the end zone in the waning seconds. The quarterback scrambled toward the right pylon on a third-and-3 from the Dallas 8. But when he lunged for the end zone, he lost his grip on the ball and it sailed into the worst possible territory.A replay review  this one with fancy computers and technology and whatnot  upheld the ruling on the field.But in the postgame locker room, the conversation focused far more on Dak Prescotts quarterback sneak with about 5 minutes to play in the game.On fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 39, the quarterback vanished under avalanche of bodies. As officials untangled the pile, Steratore called for the chain gang to come out for a measurement.What happened after that? Well, to find out, pool reporter Vic Tafur of The Athletic interviewed Steratore on behalf of the entire press corps. Instead of clarity, an Abbott & Costello routine broke out.Question: Why did you use the index card?Steratore: Didnt use the card to make the final decision. The final decision was made visually. The card was used (for) nothing more than a reaffirmation of what was visually done. My decision was visually done based on the look from the pole.Question: How did it reaffirm?Steratore: That was already finished. The ball was touching the pole. I put the card in there and as soon as it touched, it was nothing more than a reaffirmation. The decision was made based on my visual from the top looking down and the ball touching the front of the pole.Question: So the card was used for what purpose? Steratore: It was just for reaffirmation, but the decision was made based on my visual, looking at the ball touching the pole. Question: It reaffirmed it how? Steratore: The decision was based on my visual look that the ball was touching the pole. The card did nothing more than reaffirm. And on and on it went. By the end, we knew only that Who was on First, Kinkos was on Second and Papyrus was on third.As you can imagine, the fourth-down paper cut did not sit well in the Raiders locker room.Ive never seen that and if you could just be in that circle and just see where that ball was, I just dont see how they got that, Raiders linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. For him to pull that paper out, did that solidify the first down? There still was space in between the ball and the sticks. So, I dont know.It was a fittingly frustrating finish for the Raiders hopes of winning out this season.It was supposed to have a happier ending. Oakland entered this season as a trendy championship pick. More bets were placed on the Raiders to win the Super Bowl than any other team at sportsbooks in Las Vegas, according to an ESPN.com story in August.Back then, early wagering dropped the Raiders odds to 6-1 after a flurry of hopeful wagering. At the time, only the New England Patriots, listed at 3-1, had better odds.You know who thought all that hype was premature? Derek Carr. He tried to warn people as far back as July that a 12-4 finish in 2016 guaranteed them nothing this season.We didn’t even beat Kansas City twice last year. So I don’t know why everyone is so excited, Carr said at the start of training camp. We have a lot more work to do to be a better football team.And on Sunday, a national television audience got to see just how much more work remains. The one-time Super Bowl hopefuls got burned on a fake punt. They missed a field goal. They played an entire first quarter without getting a first down. Carr was right.The hype was wrong.Please make a note of it.